Facing Economic Crisis, Bitter Debate, Survey Finds Immigrants Hold Fast to American...

Facing Economic Crisis, Bitter Debate, Survey Finds Immigrants Hold Fast to
American Dream

/ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 12:01 A.M. EDT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9/

/ADVANCE/ NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite the worst
economic crisis in decades, renewed national security concerns in a post-9/11
world and an immigration policy many consider to be broken, a new Public
Agenda survey finds immigrants themselves hold fast to their belief that
America remains the land of opportunity and remain committed to becoming U.S.
citizens. These voices are vital as legislators today lay the groundwork for
passing immigration reform by President Obama's 2010 timeline.

The report released today by the nonpartisan nonprofit research organization,
Public Agenda, follows up on a groundbreaking 2002 survey and tracks
immigrants' shifting attitudes during a tumultuous period. Conducted in May
2009 and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, A Place to Call Home:
What Immigrants Say Now About Their Life in America, utilized landline and
cellular telephones along with oversamples to provide the widest perspective
possible from more than 1,100 foreign-born adults from around the world. In
particular, the survey provides new insight into the views of undocumented
immigrants and Mexican and Muslim immigrants.

"Immigrants infuse our society with energy, talent and renewed belief in our
cherished institutions, the Constitution, the importance of an impartial
justice system and participatory democracy," said Vartan Gregorian, President
of Carnegie Corporation of New York. "Their vitality, resilience,
determination and the vibrant diversity they offer, nourishes us all."

Gregorian added that the Public Agenda survey underscores immigrants'
continued belief in the American dream and a commitment to the ideals of a
successful, thriving and pluralistic society.

Public Agenda has identified five key findings compared to immigrants'
viewpoints in 2002:

1. Concerns about discrimination have held stable and views of federal
immigration services have improved.
2. Since 2002, there's been essentially no change in those who say
there's discrimination against immigrants in the U.S. (62 percent
say "some" or "a great deal").
-- But far fewer immigrants overall say they've experienced much
discrimination personally, with 25 percent reporting they've
run into "some" or "a great deal." (a small but
significant 5-point drop since 2002).
3. Mexican and other Latin American immigrants are more likely than any
other groups to say there's some or "a great deal" of
discrimination against immigrants in the United States (75 percent of
Mexicans and 72 percent of Central and South Americans). But they're
no more likely to experience discrimination personally.
4. Muslim immigrants are less likely to say there's much discrimination
against immigrants. Some 64 percent of Muslim immigrants say there is
little or no discrimination against immigrants, compared to 32 percent
of
other immigrants.

5. Since 2002, the number of people giving positive ratings to federal
immigration officials rose to 58 percent from 48 percent and 58 percent
of immigrants say it is easy to get information about immigration and
naturalization issues from the government, with 21 percent who say
it's "very easy."

1. While economic worries may be taking a toll on overall satisfaction,
economic and practical concerns are much more important reasons to
become
a citizen than they were in 2002.
2. Among legal residents who are not U.S. citizens, the top reasons to
become a citizen are "having equal rights and responsibilities"
(80 percent) and the right to vote (78 percent).
3. Yet there were significant increases in those who cite making it easier
to get certain jobs (69 percent, up 14 points), to make it easier to
travel (65 percent, up 14 points) and to qualify for government
programs
like Medicaid and food stamps (only 36 percent, the lowest on the
scale,
but still a 14-point increase from 2002).
4. Half (52 percent) say it's "very hard" to get a job
without knowing English, and a sizable number of immigrants (45
percent)
came here without knowing the language. But they're aggressively
trying to learn. Seven in 10 immigrants who knew very little or no
English when they came to the United States say they've taken
English classes, up 23 points from 2002.

5. Dissatisfaction with the economy may be driving one significant change
from 2002. While an overwhelming 87 percent say they're happy with
life in the U.S., the number who are "extremely happy" fell
from 55 percent to 34 percent.

1. Strong majorities of immigrants surveyed said they made the right
choice
in coming to the United States.
2. Majorities rated the U.S. as better than their birth country for
earning
a good living (88 percent), having a trusted legal system (70 percent),
making good health care available (67 percent), having a good education
system (62 percent), being a good place to raise children (55 percent)
and on free speech (55 percent).

3. Seven in 10 say they intend to make the U.S. their permanent home, and
that given the chance they'd do it all over again (a nine point
decline from 2002).

1. Even as ties to their birth country have grown stronger, immigrants say
they can quickly adapt to the United States.
2. 77 percent say they felt comfortable in the U.S. within five years, and
nearly half said it took less than two years.
3. The number of immigrants who say they call home at least once a week
rose
from 28 percent to 40 percent, perhaps due to improved
telecommunications.

4. Those who send money to the birth country "once in a while"
increased 14 points, to 44 percent, while those who say they never send
money fell from 55 percent to 37 percent.

1. Immigrants support a range of reform proposals, although support can
change by age and ethnic group.
2. Seven in ten (72 percent) say that the government should offer a path
to
citizenship, i.e. a way for illegal immigrants with no criminal record
and who have shown a commitment to the United States to become
citizens.
3. Some 84 percent support a guest worker program, and 61 percent strongly
favor it.

4. Mexicans are more likely to support a path to citizenship (84 percent),
compared to only 62 percent of Middle Easterners, 54 percent of East
Asians, and 48 percent of South Asians in favor. Support also declines
as
people grow older: 85 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds favor the path to
citizenship, but only 56 percent of those 65 and older do.

To view the entire results of the study, please visit:
www.publicagenda.org/pages/immigrants

Public Agenda, www.publicagenda.org, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
nonpartisan public policy research. Founded in 1975 by former U.S. Secretary
of State Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author,
Public Agenda is well respected for its influential public opinion surveys and
balanced citizen education materials. Its mission is to inject the public's
voice into crucial policy debates.

SOURCE Public Agenda

Melissa Feldsher of Public Agenda, +1-212-686-6610 ext. 50,
mfeldsher@publicagenda.org